Dear Friends,
First and foremost: A very happy, inspiring and creative New
Year.
It will be a year of changes. Also in my life. After seven
wonderful years I have decided to leave the SNDO. I have been asked to take the
position of artistic director of the Cullberg Ballet in Stockholm, Sweden. And I
accepted.
The Cullberg is in a period of transition, convinced of the
need for innovation and change, to focus on new choreographers and a new
identity as a contemporary dance company rooted in the 21st century. A process
that has started already seven years ago and now will be consolidated.
I will start at Cullberg on May 1, 2014.
I have a deep love for the SNDO, its students and its
teachers. And it would be very easy for me to continue the love feeling. But … a
school that pretends to engage with NEW dance development has an intrinsic
obligation for ongoing change and innovation. The school deserves a change
again. I feel that my mission is completed: The SNDO has become a department for
choreography and takes a strong position now in the international field of dance
education. Time for something new. Time for someone new.
Working inside and outside the school with all of you, dear
friends, feels like an immense privilege. Thank you for the trust, the
challenges, the provocations, the critical reflections, the challenging
discussions, the fun, the passion and the sharing of our love for the performing
arts and for this amazing and indeed unique school called SNDO.
Thank you and warm wishes,
